Hi again! Sorry for another long hiatus, but to make up for it I got two chapters in a row done! I know I said they were alread almost done a while back, trouble was I went in and kept changing stuff over an over because I thought I could do better LoL. Well I"ll let you guys decide how well I did
Well as the title says this chapter deals with surviving since it's looking at it from several different fronts including: The people of Dantooine, Sokka and Yue, and the big fight between Sokka and Aang.
Not sure I did as good a job with this fight scene as I did with Borabus and Sokka's fight, but I think it'll suffice to say the least
Comments both good and bad are always welcome, so if you liked it, hated it, or saw some mistakes please let me know! : ) Also, I love Q&A so dont hesitate to ask anything. Somethings I wont give away because it'd ruin the story though.
Once again, I dont own Avatar or Star Wars, I just thought it'd be fun to mix the two and throw in some Tokka.
PS
Oh yeah, you can blame hurricane Ike for making these so late too. I lost power in my house for over a week and couldnt log on : P
Riddles and Reasons
Chapter 10
Survival
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The Lunar Wolf docked in small Khoonda space port on Dantooine a few days after its departure from Nar Shaddaa. The space port itself was actually a personal hanger that originally belonged to the rich Matale family that had been either killed or fled when the Sith conquered Dantooine. Really it was more of an open garage surrounded by four walls and no ceiling. Additionally, the new headquarters for the fragile new government in Dantooine, Khoonda, was also the former Matale mansion.
Once the ship had landed the group of seven, including HK and Borabus disembarked. Sokka had on his same dark coat and dark, light armor from Nar Shaddaa. Toph and the others had also used the same garments they had on from when they first arrived there. Borabus hadn't taken off his armor even once since they had met him and no one was particularly keen to ask him why.
As they made their way to the main settlement Sokka took the time to go over the plan with the group one more time. "Okay, so we're clear on this. We're posing as salvagers, we investigate the ruins, we dig around, we hopefully find the next clue to unlocking the holocron, and we leave. Right, everyone got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, we get it." A thoroughly annoyed Toph responded irritably; it was at least the fourteenth time he'd gone over the plan with them after all. "Geeze, I don't know what the big deal is Snoozles. It's not like the Sith know we're headed there, and the worst case scenario we run into a few Kinrath Spiders or rabid Kath Hounds. No biggie." Snoozles was the new nickname Toph had given him since she found Sokkas wasn't much of a morning person. She had to smash him into the ceiling of Lunar Wolf and back down on the floor to wake him up.
"Doesn't hurt to be sure." He grinned back at her, and then with a more solemn looked turned his attention to Aang. Up until they left Nar Shaddaa he always worried that Toph would be the one to do something reckless that might break their cover, but now it was Aang who had him worried. The young and usually cheerful Jedi was finding it more difficult to return to the planet than any of the others, and that was understandable. Toph had told him that Aang's former Master and mentor had been personally slain by Malak when the Enclave fell. Morever, Aang saw it all happen and was almost killed himself. She said it drove him the closest that he's ever been to falling to the Dark Side. Knowing this Sokka could understand why Aang would be furious to learn that the locals were allowing for the plundering of the Enclave that was not only his first home, but also the final resting place of his Master.
Again Sokka felt compelled to remind the group to keep their identities a secret. "Remember guys, Jedi aren't exactly welcome here anymore and there's going to be some things going on here that you're not going to like."
"Pfft," was Aang's only response.
"Listen Aang." Sokka spoke to him. "I know it doesn't feel right to just stand by as salvagers plunder the Enclave, but we just can't afford to reveal ourselves. Especially since the locals blame the Jedi for what Malak and the Sith did to them two years ago."
Aang suddenly became furious. "Of course if doesn't feel right! That's because it isn't!" He yelled at Sokka. "They have no right! That's our home and heritage they're stealing! And worse they blame the Jedi for there problems now! Don't they realize it was the Sith who bombed the planet and killed all those people and not us?!"
Sokka just close his eyes and exhaled slowly as he reopened them. Luckily there was no one around to overhear their conversation. "That's one thing you're going to have to get used to buddy. The Outer Rim is full of people who think the Republic as well as the Jedi have abandoned them. Heck, to most people Jedi are the same as Sith and for good reason."
"And what is that reason?!" Aang responded with anger still in his voice.
"Because the Revan and Malak were once Jedi."
This last comment hit home for Aang. He just looked away when he realized what Wolf was getting at.
"Remember, Revan and Malak were the heroes of the Mandalorian War. They saved the Republic and countless lives, but then they turned and became the conquerors themselves." As Sokka spoke it became obvious to the others that he too harbored similar sentiments of betrayal like the people of Dantooine did, or at least he did at once time. "I mean if you can't trust the best of the Jedi, then who can you trust? It took even me a while to forgive and forget."
Aang just crossed his arms and continued to look away. Katara placed a hand on his shoulder to ease his mood, even if just a little.
Zuko broke the uneasy silence. "Well then, let's get going then. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can leave."
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A few minutes later the group entered Khoonda. The building was large and luxurious at one time, but now it showed signs that it had been crudely rebuilt. Some of the durasteel doors were wedged shut by either rust or malfunction, a good portion of the ceiling and even some of the walls had been patched up with used durasteel, and several of the droids in the building were offline or wrecked. Also, the local militia that served as both the military and police force of Dantooine were poorly equipped with old and used blasters and equipment. About the only thing consistent about them was their brown and ragged uniforms, which although efficient still seemed terribly worn out.
As Sokka went in to register the ship with the local authorities he was informed that they would have to be personally cleared by the local Administrator before they could venture around Dantooine.
"Wow," Katara said in a soft voice as they made their way down the hall to the Administrator's office. "This place sure has changed since we left. It seems so tense here now. Before it was so peaceful you could meditate in the open fields without the slightest worry."
"Survival has a way of changing perspectives." Sokka stated in a casual voice.
Katara's expression became sour as she looked at Wolf. "I suppose you'd know. You seem to survive just about everything the galaxy throws at you. If only the same could be said about those you work with."
Sokka stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Katara. For a while it looked like he was struggling with a comeback, but he finally just turned and continued walking
The group entered the central room in Khoonda. It seemed to be a personal study at one time and even had two small elevated plots where trees were still growing indoors. Near the back center portion of the room there was an aged lady of about fifty some years standing behind a grey durasteel desk. Her hair was tied in small bun and was a mix of black and grey. The woman's face was only slightly wrinkled but commanded a firm and elegant posture. It was apparent that in her prime she must've been rather stunning.
"Hello and welcome to Khoonda. I am Administrator Terena Adare." She greeted them.
"Hello and thank you." Sokka said as he and the other's bowed slightly. "My name is Samuel Olan, and this is my crew," he gestured at the others. "We're here on an archeological survey of the several ruins here on Dantooine."
"Salvagers then." She responded with a monotonous voice.
"Well, in a manner of speaking, yes." Sokka confirmed with a rather embarrassed look.
The Administrator just eyed the group with neither suspicion nor trust on her face. "Very well, from the looks of you I can see you're a capable bunch so I will allow you entry into the remains of the Jedi Enclave as well as the ancient ruins here on Dantooine. First, however, there is the two hundred credit fee all salvagers must pay before being allowed entry."
"So we have to pay to plunder Jedi property? The Enclave here never belonged to the Dantooine government." Aang stated heatedly.
Fortunately the Administrator mistook his anger for that of your average salvager who hated to pay the fee, rather than a Jedi trying to protect his heritage. "Let me make two things perfectly clear. Foremost, I don't agree with your plundering, but I will allow it since your stay will help sustain our people. And secondly, once you've stepped into those ruins you are on you own. If you get lost, injured or killed, no attempt will be made to find you. We are not responsible for anything that goes on in there."
"We understand." Sokka intervened before Aang could argue further. "And we accept those terms. He then took out the credits from one of his coat's inner pockets and handed them to the administrator.
"Very well. I'll send word to the militia stationed at the ruins that you are to be allowed access. Thank you and good bye." She then waved them out of the room and the group left.
Soon they had exited Khoonda and were making their way to the Rakata ruins.
"Talk about a warm welcome." Toph stated sarcastically as soon as they were out of anyone's listening range.
"Yeah." Katara agreed. "But I still can't believe that they're actually exploiting the enclave ruins for their own gain."
"To be honest, it felt reassuring to know that not all the people here approve of the so called 'salvaging." Sokka said.
"I bet you'd feel that way." Katara stated coldly.
Sokka turned to face her one more. "Listen, I don't like what they're doing here either but these people are hanging on by a thread. Sure they can farm their own food, but getting equipment, medicine and other necessities would be impossible if not for the extra credits the salvagers bring in." He paused for a bit to collect his thoughts. "When you're pushed to the limit morality tends to take a back seat. You have to do what you have to in order to survive."
Katara understood what he meant, but it only served to aggravate her. "Is that what you thought when you left Yue to die?"
Again Sokka looked like he was ready to argue some more, but at the last minute he just looked away in an uncomfortable silence.
"I thought as much," Katara continued. The scorn was evident in her voice.
"Enough already!" Toph cut in. As usual her unique abilities allowed her to sense what Katara was ignoring; that Sokka was in as much pain as her over the loss of Yue.
Katara just stared at her friend in utter disbelief. "Toph, how can you defend him?!"
"Because the idiot won't stand up for himself, and more importantly, because he's a good person."
"You barely even know him Toph! How can you possibly trust him?!"
"Bec…" Toph was suddenly stopped by Sokka's arm on her shoulder.
"Thanks Toph, but its okay. You don't have to defend me." He shifted his gaze back to Katara now. "I've done thing's I haven't been particularly proud of, but leaving Yue to die to save myself wasn't one of them."
For some reason unknown to her Katara found truth to his words and decided not to press the matter further. Besides she could tell that if it went on any longer she'd probably end up having to take Toph head on in an argument, something that past experiences showed her that she could never win. Instead she just crossed her arms and looked away.
Why does Toph trust him so much?! It's not like her to take to someone so easily. Heck it took almost a year for her to warm up to Aang and me. In any case I better watch out for her.
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Half an hour later the group had nearly reached the ruins when they encountered a crowd of thuggish looking salvagers. The salvagers had ragged clothes on along with bandage wraps, bandana face masks, and even ragged turbans. If anything they reminded Sokka of the Sand people of Tatooine except that these guys were definitely human and probably more trouble than they were worth.
These suspicions were confirmed when the salvagers looked up from the recently plundered loot they had managed to bring out of the Jedi enclave. In total there were twelve of them, so they probably figured they had the advantage in numbers when they made their move.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" One of the twelve asked his fellow salvagers. From the sound of his voice he seemed to be in his early to mid twenties. "It looks like we have some competition moving in on our turf boys."
Slowly the salvagers began to surround the group in a semicircle, most likely trying to intimidate them.
A different salvager came up to them next. "If you know what's good for you you'll just turn around and get off world fast." He seemed to be about the same age as his the first salvager, although his voice seemed awfully hoarse.
The same man eyed Toph in an intrusive manner with his eyes practically crawling all over her. Sokka noticed this and he could feel anger growing inside of him.
If this guy tries anything it'll be the last thing he ever does! Sokka thought to himself.
"Of course," the salvager continued as he stepped closer to Toph, "I'm sure we could come up with a compromise if…agh!"
The poor bastard never got to finish his sentence. In bad move he actually tried to brush some of bangs out of her face. Toph, however, didn't much like this and she caught his arm before Sokka could slice it off, and with a quick twist and a loud snap brought him down to his knees crying in pain.
His friends moved to help them and were about ready to draw their blasters when Sokka unsheathed his dark blade and brought it to the neck of the nearest salvager. This and Borabus' lighting quick draw of his twin blasters stopped the salvagers dead in their tracks.
Aang, Katara, and Zuko, who didn't have their light sabers with them, pulled out the weapons Sokka had lent them for the trip. Aang had a double ended baton that was as long as his light saber would have been, and it even conducted electricity for paralyzing his enemies. Both Katara and Zuko had vibro blades to mimic their saber styles of combat. Katara had a single vibroblade while Zuko carried a balanced pair.
HK, who had his carbine rifle at the ready since before Toph broke the salvagers arm, broke the short silence. "Statement: They appear to be surprised by our combat expertise Master. Shall I shoot them now?"
This last statement caused a few of the salvagers to start freaking out.
"Nah," Sokka responded, "I'm sure these guys were just about to kindly give us a souvenir or two before they packed up and got off world. Isn't that right fellas?"
"Y-yeah." One of them managed to blurt out. "We got a ton of good stuff from the Jedi Enclave. You guys are welcome to it," he said while pointing to the items they had been huddled over just a short while ago.
"How sweet of you," Toph grinned slightly as she finally let go of the broken arm of the salvager that tried to get fresh with her. The man cradled his broken arm and ran away looking half scared to death.
Sokka couldn't help but laugh. "Consider yourself lucky pal. She may have broken you arm, but at least I didn't slice it clean off."
Toph's grin grew even wider as she heard this.
"We'll just be leaving as soon as the boss and the others get back from that garden in the lower levels of the enclave." One of the salvagers said as he helped his wounded buddy with his arm.
The salvager's words caused Aang to become infuriated. He suddenly came up face to face with the salvager. "What garden?! The one in the lowest level of the Enclave?!"
"That's the one," the terrified salvager confirmed. "We got in a few days ago, but we couldn't get far because of the wildlife that had moved in, until yesterday that is. The boss is their getting the remains of some dead Jedi down there. He says collectors would pay big money for an authentic Jedi corpse."
Suddenly something inside Aang snapped. He grabbed the man by the robes in his chest and was about to strike him with the electrically charged baton when Katara grabbed his arm.
"Aang!! Calm down!"
For a second it seemed like Aang didn't even hear her, but then he slowly began to lower his weapon and finally let the terrified salvager drop to the floor. The others took off running as soon as their companion had been released, and he didn't waste anytime catching up.
Aang, however, still looked furious and took off running in the direction of the Jedi Enclave at pace that would give a swoop-bike jockey a run for their money. The others could only try to keep up with him as he stormed off.
"No! Aang wait!" A terrified Katara called out to her best friend.
"This isn't good." Toph said sounding genuinely worried for the first time since Sokka had met her on Nar Shaddaa. "Twinkle Toes isn't thinking straight. I haven't seen him this mad since…since his Master was killed."
Sokka pieced together what had just happened with what Toph had told him earlier about Aang's Master. "So the Jedi Remains in the Enclave, they…"
"Belong to Master Gyatso." A worried Katara finished for him. "If we don't do something he might lose himself again."
"Okay then. Let's head to the Enclave," Sokka said as he turned to face HK. "HK, I need you to go ahead and scout out the Rakata ruins ahead of us. We'll meet up with you as soon as we've gotten Aang."
"Statement: Understood Master. I shall secure the ruins until your arrival." With that the droid took off in a surprisingly fast sprint towards the ruins.
Katara just stood where she was in disbelief. I didn't think he'd change his mind so casually, I mean he barely knows Aang and he's already postponing the mission to help him. Maybe he's not as heartless as I thought.
"Okay," Sokka's words brought Katara out of her thoughts, "I don't now the layout of the Jedi Enclave here, so it'll be better if you take point Katara."
"What?!" Wolf placing her in charge of the mission was the last thing Katara had expected.
"You know the Enclave and Aang better than anyone here I think. If anyone can reason with Aang before he goes completely crazy, and without us getting us killed in the process, it's you. So lead the way."
Katara let the surprise fade from her face and replaced it with a stern look of purpose. "Right. Follow me."
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It didn't take the group long to find the Jedi Enclave since the ruins were only a few miles away, but from the looks of the terrified salvagers camped outside the Enclave, it looked like Aang had long since passed through. The group forewent the formal introductions and headed straight for the entrance to the lower portions of the Enclave.
The Enclave itself was nearly three times the size Khoonda, and that was only from the first floor. Its structure and architecture slightly resembled the remodeled government center except that it was in ruins. The upper level was completely devastated by Sith bombardment during the Jedi Civil War and it was inaccessible. Fortunately the lower levels were still intact, but dangerously unstable.
"You sure this is safe?" Sokka asked Toph as they started to descend down the hall that was the passage to the second lower level.
"Does it really mater?" She returned in a casual tone.
Sokka just sighed. "Guess not."
"Quiet down you two!" Katara responded from the front of the group. She had taken point ever since Wolf had relinquished his command of the mission over to her. However, it became quite clear to him that her feelings for Aang were leaving her on edge.
Looks like there is more between Aang and her than I first though. I just hope it doesn't mess with her judgment too much.
Soon they had reached what looked like a small garden surrounded by a fountain underground. Light from the surface still flooded this section of the Enclave from the shattered glass ceiling, and despite the destruction that was the Enclave, this area seemed unusually peaceful and serene.
"This it?" Sokka asked.
"Nah," Toph responded, "this is just one of several meditation areas in the enclave." Toph voiced her attention to Katara now. "Where is he Sugar Queen? I can't get a good feel on where he is."
Katara looked to both the left and right halls that led further into the Enclave. "I…I can't be sure. I know he's close, but I he's trying to hide himself from me. He…he doesn't want us to stop him." Her voice almost cracked from her frustration.
"Whoa, time out." Sokka interjected. "How can you know where he is and not Toph? I thought she was the best at sensing people through the Force."
Toph face flushed slightly at Sokka's comment, but Katara's only became stern. Luckily Zuko answered his question.
"Aang and Katara share a Force bond."
"A what?"
"It's a rare and special connection that forms between two people strong in the Force. The reasons for these bonds aren't always known, but through them individuals can share strengths, weaknesses, and even emotions and pain."
Sokka just made a weird look on his face that screamed 'WHAT!!'
Seeing his apparent confusion and shock Zuko continued with his explanation. "Listen, all you have to know is that Katara and Aang are closer than any friends will ever be, and that we can use that to find him."
Sokka wanted to pry for more info, but Katara's angry mug quickly quieted his curiosity. Okay, so my little sister is intimately connected to another handsome young Jedi, it's not like it should matter to me right?! I mean I haven't seen her in like fifteen years, so why should I care?!
"You okay Wolf?" Toph asked noting his still apparent shock.
"Uh, yeah, just fine." He managed to say as nonchalantly as possible.
"Well then let's go." Katara finished for Toph. Then she remembered they were at an impasse since they didn't know what route Aang took.
Sokka just chuckled. "He went left."
"How can you be sure?" Zuko asked him.
"Well for one thing the dust and rubble look partially disturbed in that direction. From what I can gather he was probably using the Force to sprint through here since it looks like a slight breeze could've been responsible, except their aren't any breezes down here"
"How could you have possibly noticed that?" Katara asked a bit annoyed and surprised at the same time.
"My father was a hunter, he taught me to track everything from beasts to humanoids." Sokka bent down to feel the slight and barely visible path made in the dust of the Enclave floor. "The trick to tracking is not looking for traces of you prey, but rather something that is out of place. You just got to narrow your choices after that by using what you know about them."
"Sweet." Toph commented as she grinned. "It's nice to know we have a spare tracker when Sugar Queen and I are not around."
"Thanks…I think."
Katara just eyed Wolf suspiciously. His talents were adding to her mistrust rather than her appraisal of him.
They continued down the left passage and indeed found that someone had been through the area, and not just recently. From the looks of it various salvagers had left markers along the path to mark areas they had been to or at least knew were safe to explore. If anything they were sure Aang would've taken this route.
Soon they had reached the next level down, but they still hadn't actually found Aang.
"Wait!" Katara suddenly shouted. "He's really close, I can feel him, but he's in pain. He's angry, no, furious! We have to find him fast!"
Katara ran in the direction that the salvager markers pointed, but she failed to notice that some of the markers placed along the hall were warning markers.
"Katara wait!!" Toph shouted a bit too late.
Suddenly the weak hall began to shake and crack. Fortunately Sokka had run after her as soon as he noticed the warning markers and he managed to pull her back to safety. He, however, was not as lucky and fell through the floor along with half the hallway.
Using his keen reflexes Sokka used the collapsing floor as a slide while he fell with it, pushed of it without a second to spare, and then rolled as he hit the floor below. His efforts earned a bruised shoulder, but he had safely cleared the collapse. Now he was just cut off from the group on the lowest level of the Enclave.
"Wolf! Are you ok?!" He heard voices over head shout through the muffling debris.
"Just peachy!" He shouted back. "Uhm, I think I'm going to have to find another way back though. This area is completely caved in."
"Don't worry." He heard Toph's smug voice reply. "You should be able to reach the central courtyard from where you are, and then the passage up. If not, well, we're just going to have to dig you out."
"Great." Sokka responded in his normal sarcastic tone. "Well, see you on the other side." With that he left the debris filled hall behind him and made his way towards the only viable path left to him.
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It wasn't too long before Sokka began to hear raised voices up ahead, and he recognized one of them. "Aang!"
The closer he got to the subterranean courtyard the more he realized that the heated argument between Aang and the salvagers was more of plea for mercy on the salvagers' part. More importantly, he also noticed that their seemed to be a cold draft coming from the lower courtyard. Actually, he could've sworn he felt it since he entered the Enclave, except now it was much stronger.
"Listen man, we didn't know he was your Master! Heck, we didn't think any Jedi survived this place! We just figured we'd move his body to a more dignified area, heh!"
Sokka walked into the courtyard to see Aang standing over a group of eight salvagers who were either cowering or on their knees. The courtyard itself wasn't too much different from the one on the first lower level; except that the meditation platform covered more than half the room and that the only light was artificial. Another thing Sokka noticed were the skeletal remains of a Jedi Master in the center of the room. They had been wrapped in a long cloth; the salvagers were no doubt about to move him just as Aang had arrived.
When the salvagers saw Sokka come in their apparent leader directed their pleas towards him. He didn't seem more than three or four years older than Sokka and his face wasn't concealed by any bandanas like his fellow salvagers. Sokka figured him to be the conceited, cocky kind of individual who'd normally run a gang.
"Hey buddy! Help us out here! This Jedi, he's gone nuts!"
"With good reason!" Sokka responded back. He sighed and shook his head as he walked up to Aang. "Aang, I know these guys are scum and they probably deserve a good thrashing, but not like this. Just calm down, you know, the whole 'there is no emotion, there is peace' deal."
Aang didn't reply or look back at him. He just stood there with his weapon drawn and ready for combat.
"Hey man, come on." Sokka reached over and put a hand on Aang's shoulder, but as soon as he did Aang brought his electrified staff up and knocked away Sokka's arm. Had he not been wearing his bracers it would've shattered his wrist for sure.
"Hey watch it!!"
Aang turned his full attention to Sokka now; the anger was clearly evident in the young Jedi's eyes. "How can you defend them?! They're trying to make a profit out of my dead Master!"
"I'm not defending them; I'm trying to help you!" Sokka stepped forward not backing down from Aang. "Yes these guys need to be taught a lesson, but this is not the way to do it! You're letting your anger get the better of you and it's taking you somewhere you don't want to be again! Toph told me about what happened when the Enclave was attacked and how you almost fell to the Dark Side. Don't let it happen again man." He paused for a bit when he noticed his words were doing little to alleviate Aang's disposition. "Katara's worried sick about you, don't you…"
"Shut up!! I know the truth about you! You're not different from them; you'd just as soon sell out any Jedi to save yourself like you did with Yue!"
Now it was Sokka's turn to be angry. "You're wrong Aang." He responded in a low but threatening voice. "I'd never sell out a comrade, and especially not Yue. Now put down your weapon and a get a grip on yourself before you do something we'll both regret."
"Like this!" Aang quickly slammed down his staff with a quick vertical slice and sent a wave of Force energy towards Sokka.
Sokka, however, had anticipated this and managed to sidestep the attack while simultaneously drawing his back blade.
"Fine, I guess we're doing this the hard way then." Sokka stated in a voice that was a bit more confident than he was letting on. Still, there was a sense of excitement within himself he could not explain.
Aang charged at Sokka with a burst of speed the mercenary had never seen. He managed to bring his blade down to counter Aang's horizontal right swipe, but the momentum behind the attack knocked him back and almost made him loose his footing. Without a second to spare Aang was already continuing his offensive with a flurry of strikes from both ends of his staff. Sokka was barely able to parry.
Fortunately, Sokka didn't use your average style of combat. He parried with both his sword and his armor. For every strike his blade could not counter in time to upper left side he'd block with his left bracer, and for every attack that came lower to either his left or right he'd block with his greaves in a graceful manner. Still, it was taxing just trying to keep up with the Jedi and he was mostly going on instinct and memorized attack patterns to counter Aang. Moreover, he was starting to tire while Aang was only getting faster and stronger.
Shit! I knew he was fast, but this is insane! At this rate I won't last more than a few minutes at best.
Aang continued his assault and all Sokka could do was defend and slowly lose ground. Then suddenly the young Jedi jumped back a few feet and made a swift shoving motion with his right arm as he held his weapon with his left one. The motion was another Force push, except this time Sokka didn't have enough time or space to evade it and was hit by a power that felt like a wall slamming into him. The attack threw him hard into the wall behind him and he had the air knocked out of him.
Sokka looked up in time to see Aang preparing a horizontal Force slash with his weapon. Using the brief delay to his advantage Sokka injected himself with an Adrenal Accelerate stimulant that he had stashed on his belt for emergencies such as this. The Adrenal stimulant would temporarily grant him increased speed and reflexes, and he was going to need them for this fight.
With his new found strength Sokka easily flipped over the attack and launched himself at Aang. The salvagers had long since fled in fear, so Sokka wasn't worried about any collateral damage.
Now the tables were turned and Sokka was pressing the offensive. Aang, however, wasn't surprised by Sokka's attacks and easily parried or dodged them with his superior agility. This, however, was just a diversion set up by Sokka. In reality, he was just buying himself time to think up a strategy to disable Aang without hurting him by keeping focused on defending himself. What is more, Sokka had come to know how acrobatic Aang's fighting style was and if he gave him enough time to recover the attack then he'd be done in for sure.
Okay, I can't take him head on, he's too fast. Maybe I can use the surroundings to my advantage. He sidestepped around Aang to make it seem like he was trying to get behind him and attack, but he was really just trying to get a clear view of the courtyard without alerting Aang to his strategy. It was then that he noticed the equipment the salvagers had left behind in their haste to escape the frenzied Jedi. Mining charges! There's my chance!
Sokka made a low horizontal slice with his sword that Aang easily dodged with a quick back flip that put a good deal of distance between the two. Aang used the distance to regain the offensive and launched another Force push at him.
Perfect. Sokka thought.
The mercenary crossed his arms over his chest and let his bracers take the full impact of the attack. Aangs Force push still hurt and sent Sokka flying once more, but now he was sent towards the mining charges without Aang being any the wiser of what he was up to.
While still being propelled through the air Sokka thrust his sword into the floor near the charges and used it to pivot and land gracefully beside them. He then brought his free left hand down and made it look like he was holding the floor to balance himself, but in reality he was discreetly grabbing some of the mining charges.
Again Aang launched a ranged offensive with his telekinetic abilities; this time he ripped off the floor tiles off the floor and sent them flying at Sokka. Sokka in turn expertly weaved his way through them like an acrobat and sliced a few that he could not avoid. When he got closer, Aang quickly retracted his staff, clipped it on to his belt, and then clapped his hands together. This sent a section from each of the two walls on the opposite sides of the room flying towards Sokka in an attempt to crush him. Sokka swiftly wall kicked off the right wall and narrowly dodged the fatal attack. When he landed, however, Aang was waiting for him and quickly pulled his arms apart from his clap as he unleashed a massive Force pulse that was completely unavoidable.
Sokka hit the floor hard on his back, but he hadn't lost focus. As he looked up at Aang he saw that the Jedi wasn't fooling around anymore. The air around Aang seemed to be whirling and pulsing with the young Jedi at its center. It felt like if the whole Enclave was shaking.
Suddenly, Sokka understood what was happening. He had learned in his travels with Revan that there were places that were tainted or marked by the Dark Side that could corrupt and empower individuals. Obviously the cold chill he had felt before was the Dark Side aura that had been left behind from the massacre that had occurred there years ago, and Aang was being influenced by it now.
Knowing he had to end the fight there and then Sokka did the only thing he could, he feigned being injured and unable to move.
Seeing his opponent's apparent handicap, Aang released the power that was enveloping him and moved in to finish him off by leaping high into the air and bringing his staff down to impale Sokka.
I have to time this just right.
Without a moment to spare he brought up his arms and crossed them over his chest, effectively blocking Aang's staff with his bracers once again. He then kicked the young Jedi square in the chest and sent him flying over him. Aang landed ungracefully on his back while Sokka jumped back onto his feat while simultaneously sliding two of the charges straight at Aang without even turning around to face him.
The ensuing blast threw Sokka forward while he was still running away from the explosion and he smashed his left arm hard against the floor as he landed. Aang who was closer to the blast managed to raise an invisible Force barrier around himself just as the charges detonated, similarly to Toph on Nar Shaddaa. Because of the proximity and sheer magnitude of the charges, however, Aang still took the brunt of the explosion and was thrown into the wall behind him, falling to the floor unconsciously.
Sokka slowly got up clutching his left arm with his right one as he limped towards Aang who was lying face down on the ground. Although he managed to put some good distance between himself and the blast it still did a number on him, especially since he had already taken several hits from Aang's Force abilities. As he reached the young Jedi, Sokka knelt down to make sure he hadn't overdone it with the mining charges. He knew from what he saw with Toph at the Vagrant's Paradise that Aang should've been able to shield himself from the brunt of the detonation, but he was still worried.
Man, I really hope I didn't overdo it. Katara will kill me for sure if he got hurt bad.
Upon close inspection he could tell Aang only had a mild concussion and maybe a broken rib or two, but otherwise he was fine. He let out a heavy sigh as he let himself fall back on the floor.
Just as he let himself fall the others stormed into the courtyard with their weapons drawn. Apparently they had felt the battle from the upper level.
"Aang!!" Katara screamed as she ran towards Aang's unconscious body. She cradled him in her arms and examined him with her own abilities as she placed her right hand over his chest. "He's alright! A bit beat up, but alright!"
"You're welcome," Sokka commented to no one in particular as Toph came over put his right arm over her shoulder and helped him up to a standing position.
"Just what the hell happened here?" Zuko asked.
"Aang caught the salvagers trying to steal his Master's remains and was about go berserk on them. Luckily I came in and when I tried to talk him down he came after me."
"Luckily? You feel like you went through a garbage compacter." Toph stated in an annoyed tone that concealed her concern.
"I guess we both did get roughed up pretty bad, but we're both alive and no one fell to the Dark Side, so yeah, I think we're lucky." Sokka smiled weakly before his face broke into a grimace. "This place, even I can feel the Dark side is strong here. It was messing with Aang; sort of adding fuel to fire. I have to admit I'm surprised I'm still here."
"Well it's a good thing you are." Toph said. She then realized the words that she had spoken and that Sokka had turned his attention to her, along with the others. She quickly corrected herself. "Uh, I mean this whole party would've been for nothing if you ended up getting killed." She blushed as she said this.
Katara didn't pay attention to this since she was too relieved to have Aang safe in her arms at the moment, so she kept silent as she tried to heal some of Aang's wounds. "His wounds aren't too bad, but I'd rather get him out of here and back to the ship to finish healing him there."
"Sure thing," Sokka responded. "You better have Zuko help you." He then handed her a remote control. "This will help you get onboard."
Katara looked at Wolf with surprise in her eyes yet again. "I, uh, thank you."
"Don't thank me. I don't make a habit of leaving people behind, besides you're going to need help getting his Master's remains out of here," Sokka said while motioning towards Master Gyatso's remains. "When I was in the military proper funerals were a luxury we could rarely afford, even for Jedi. But since that's not the case now though, I figure it's the least we can do to ease Aang's pain."
Again Katara was utterly stunned by Wolf's actions. Is this really the man who's responsible for Yue's death? She looked back to see Wolf laughing as Toph made a crack about how the salvagers ran out like screaming little girls. Is this just a front he's putting up to trick us? Did he earn Yue's trust this way? Still, there's something about him besides the words and the actions that makes me want to trust him. But what is it? With these last thoughts she and Zuko carried Aang between themselves. Zuko slung Master Gyatso's remains over his shoulder and the three made their way back to the Lunar Wolf.